Typically, a vehicle steer axle assembly has a forged steering knuckle that includes a steer arm forged therewith. An example of such a vehicle steer axle assembly is U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,332 to Pollock, which is incorporated herein by reference. In Pollock, the steer arm is unitarily forged on its outward end with the inward side of a steering knuckle.
In general, the space on the inward side of a vehicle steer axle assembly is taken up by a large number of parts that are required to be attached or connected thereto, and/or are required to be assembled therearound. Thus, it is a complex and time intensive task to initially assemble parts, for example, vehicle brake packaging, on and around a steering knuckle with an integrally formed steer arm in this crowded space on the inward side of the knuckle. Further, repair and/or replacement of a steering knuckle with an integrally formed steer arm is similarly difficult because, if the steer arm is in need of repair or replacement, the entire knuckle must be removed or replaced.
Others have developed bolt-on vehicle steer arms. For example, as seen in prior art FIG. 13, a prior art design of a steering knuckle assembly having an arrangement of a bolt-on steer arm that is bolted to a knuckle from the inward side of the knuckle. Even with this arrangement, the steer knuckle assembly is required to be assembled, changed, and/or repaired from the crowded space on the inward side or blindly from the outward side of the knuckle.
Quite often, for either of the above-identified vehicle steering knuckle assemblies, assembly methods and/or changes in parts in the crowded inward space require offsets to be designed into a new steer arm, so that the new steer arm does not physically conflict with the other parts in the crowded inward space. As a result, a new steering knuckle having steer arms with the offset steering arm needs to be designed, tested, built, assembled, and maintained. Further, these offsets, regardless of why they are implemented, often result in increased stress at the steer arm base, where the steer arm is forged or attached with/to the steering knuckle. Consequently, the offsets can result in increased costs associated with the vehicle steering knuckle.
Therefore, what is sought is to reduce the number of steering knuckles needed, for various vehicles, by not requiring a different offset steer arm to be forged therewith or bolted thereto from the crowded inward side of the knuckle. In addition, a means needs to be provided that reduces the stress experienced by a steer arm at its outward end where it is joined with the inward side of a knuckle. In turn, brake packaging should be improved, assembly should be facilitated, the number and size of the parts to be assembled should be reduced, and the overall complexity of a steering knuckle assembly should also be reduced. As a benefit, costs associated with the knuckle, assembly, and repair of the vehicle steer axle assembly should be lowered.